Memorial Day Weekend On The Millers - Bears Den

I didn't cast a fly this weekend but the guys that I guided did. Two days were spent working the Bears Den From S. Royalston to the Gorge Pool. The crowds that I thought that we would encounter failed to materialize. We saw six fly fishers on Saturday and five on Sunday. Watching and asking showed that my guys took about 80% of the trout (all browns). The flies making the honor roll were: black and olive buggers (duh), the Moby Dick Wet (it took a NATIVE brown), a black nose dace (1st trout caught on a fly that my client tied!!!!!!!!!!!!)and a size 10 white marabou streamer.

I remember a Memorial Day weekend six or so years ago when the Rezendes Pool exploded with rises at 11am. That didn't happen this weekend but I believe, if the past is any indication, that June evenings will provide that surface action.

I hate to do this BUT let's hope for a little rain. Maybe one good rainy day a week. That would be nice!!

The EB is PERFECT right now!!!

Ken

The "green fly" is a damsel fly. They will be hatching all over the stream banks this week. It's the nymph that matters.

A Short Trip To The EB, A New Fly And My Favorite Mayfly

I live close to The Swift and the Millers which allows me to take some nice after work trips to spend an hour or two working these rivers. I do it a lot! I live VERY CLOSE to the EB so when a short window of opportunity comes around I take it and drive the 10 minutes to the Gorge. Tonight was one of those nights and the 75 minutes were well spent. First, I tried out this creation which had it's first test on the Millers two weeks ago. The fly was too large and resulted in short takes. Tonight's revision, in a wet fly style, took 7 in that short period. I'll post the instructions when I come up with a name. All I can say is that this fly is proof that trout are at times not too finicky.

The EB has dropped from 1100cfs to the high 400's since Sunday. It is perfect. It will also be perfect for the Memorial Day non-fishing hordes that will fill the first 1/4 mile below the Gorge this weekend at mid day. Get there early or just go downstream for solitude.

A neat thing happened tonight. For the second time in the last 5 years a March Brown landed on my left hand in the same spot as one of the same species had before. I've used the first photo of that Millers MB in my slide show of that river and now I can add this critter to the Westfield show. I took some photos and just watched it for a while before it flew away and it made me realize again why we pursue this sport. That fly was beautiful! The late writer, Robert Traver, once said that trout can only exist in beautiful places. He was right. This activity has always been a quite endeavor, vastly more contemplative than competitive, always a more measured response instead of pom-pom waving enthusiasm. Let's hope it stays that way.

See you on the Millers this weekend!!

Ken

EB Update

The fish are in the Chesterfield Gorge section of the EB - that's for sure!! The only thing is you have to work hard for them. This morning I parked at the first turn off on the right and walked to the first turn off on the left and then scampered down the hill to the spot I call the "Swimming Hole". Visit this spot at noon on any Summer weekend and you will know why I gave it that label. It's a neat run to fish on Summer evenings and today I was hoping that this pool would offer holding area for trout from the high flows. I was right but just barely.

The weapons of choice were a 5wt equipped with a full sinking line. The ammo was the dreaded, bead headed bugger assortment. I "rediscovered" my sinking line strategy after many years of plying floating lines in heavy flows. It worked on the Millers two weeks ago and it worked today.

I took five 'bows and a brookie in the two hour trip. First, the fish were smaller than the fish of the last few seasons. All were around 12 inches except for the 8 inch brookie. I'm not complaining because these guys will provide great surface action with 3 and 4wt rods and tiny flies soon enough. Maybe the larger fish just didn't feel like playing today.

The EB drops like a rock from flood flows to that 250-500cfs range quickly. That should happen over this coming week (at least to 500cfs, anyway)if the rain holds off. Let's hope so!!!

Ken

Helping The EB And A Millers Update

First, It's May 15th and the EB of the Westfield River, through the Chesterfield Gorge, has been a trout desert. Rumor has it that because TU moved their weekend party to the Quinnie the Gorge, the longest single C&R section in the State, may be put on the back burner. So please do this before next weekend - email the DFW and say you want the traditional May stocking of that river section to continue. The email address is: mass.wildlife@state.ma.us This is a quick way to bury them with our concerns. Let's show our strength!!!!!!

The Millers - Yup, the fish tales of 20 fish and 30 fish days are all true. That's what happens when you fish within a day of a stocking. But the browns are BIG and they swam quickly away when released so no harm done. And yes, it was fun catching them. The predicted rains will not move these fish around like it does with rainbows. They will just become harder to catch and will soon begin to shy away from those buggers we've been tossing. By late May/early June dries and emergers will rule the day.

BTW, word has it that the Erving Center bridge (the end of the lower C&R)on downstream was stocked heavily this past week. It's a beautiful section that gets little pressure and holds trout all Summer. If you want to try a new spot.........

Ken

Millers And EB Update

The fish are there!!! The EB has them although they seem to be fairly spread out. Last Friday found me on the Bliss Pool where I saw one 'bow dead on the bottom of the pool. I fished that pool hard for an our looking for survivors but found none. The base of the Gorge brought two to the net on a hornberg, a fly that seems to work on that river when I'm forced to fish subsurface. BTW, the big tree that fell across the road has been removed and the road seems to be drying out nicely.

The next day I visited the lower Millers to fish one of my favorite springtime runs - The Bridge Street Pool. Two 'bows came to the net, one on a Millers Stone and another on a brown bugger. Then I took my first trip of the year to the Kempfield. The 600cfs flow hid all of the familiar rocks. The bugger took another rainbow. BTW again - I fished with a FULL SINKING LINE!! It was the standard procedure years ago to go with a sinking line in the spring until the flows dropped and the trout rose. Don't leave home without one!!

We're starting to get into the REAL fly fishing season! Warmer days, lower flows, more insects and RISING TROUT. The data that many of you have emailed to me shows something else - the hardware/bait season has peaked on many of our rivers and fly fishers now outnumber the others. Keep the data rolling in!!!

Also, I've gotten a lot of Millers Guide and fly orders. THANK YOU!!

Ken

Open Guide Dates And Reporting For The Study

A short note: I have open guiding dates (full days) for the Millers, EB of the Westfield or the Swift on the following dates - May 29, June 4 and JUNE 12. It's first come, first served. Just email me at millercaddis@yahoo.com to reserve a spot.

My full day trips end by mid June on the Millers and we switch into a late afternoon/evening mode for that river. The EB can work a bit later in the season if water conditions permit although it offers GREAT evening fishing during the Summer. One can fish the Swift ANY TIME of day all season long.

The fly fishing/non fly fishing study - please report your observations to my email address which is millercaddis@yahoo.com. It's just so much easier for me to keep track of.

Thanks,

Ken

Three River Update And Your Help Requested

Here we go: The EB of the Westfield is running at 490cfs, the Bears Den of the Millers is at 545cfs, The lower Millers has finally dipped below the thousand mark at 975. All have been stocked and with the right flies (weight) and presentation should be producing trout. Let's hope that the deluge forecast for Wednesday doesn't happen. Hey, what about the third river?? The Swift is RISING and has climbed above 200cfs for the first time in months. I was at the pipe Friday evening and saw only two other fly fishers and NO TROUT. Without a doubt it is the strangest April that I've seen on this river. If anyone has caught anything at the pipe section during the past two weeks than you are much better than me.

The Millers will get it's stocking of browns over the next two weeks. GOOD!!!!!

Now, I need your help for a little "study". Going forward please keep a mental note when you fish on one of our Ma. river of the number of flyfishers that you see on each trip vs. the number of non flyfishers that you see for each trip. Example: fished the Quinni and saw 4 flyfishers and 2 non flyfishers. When you get back just email me the results. Don't include Fly Fishing Only locations, of course.

Good Fishing!!!!

Ken